Since laws can vary from state to state and country to country, SlashGear has compiled a list of the smallest street legal motorcycles to buy in 2024.
There are a lot of motorcycle riders out there who are looking to ride the biggest and meanest bike they can get their hands on, but that isn’t the case for everyone. There are several out there who enjoy smaller bikes. Miniature motorcycles have been around for decades, but these tiny rides have had a huge boom in popularity over the last few years due to their relative affordability, easy maneuverability, and the simple fun of riding around town on a teeny tiny vehicle. That said, there are limits to how small these bikes can be while still being legal to ride on the road.
Motorcycle laws vary from country to country, and in the U.S., they can even vary from state to state. You will need to be familiar with the local laws to be sure that your bike is legal to ride on the road, as well as to know where you will be allowed to ride it. In California, for instance, bikes with engines smaller than 150ccs of displacement are legally classified as «motor-driven cycles» which have different licensing requirements and may be prohibited from riding on certain freeways or expressways if there is signage posted.
Other states set a lower cutoff at 125ccs for highway riding, or may even have no specific legal restrictions on engine size at all. But to keep it simple, we’re going to stick with bikes that are close to the more capable 125cc minimum classification. With that in mind, let’s take a look at six of the smallest street-legal motorcycles available in 2024.Honda Trail125
Starting off with the heaviest bike on our list, we have the Honda Trail125. This bike replicates a form factor that goes all the way back to 1961, with a bike that simultaneously emphasizes fun and basic utility over raw performance. Some might look at the Trail125 and think that it’s toy-like, but its 124cc air-cooled single-cylinder four-stroke engine can hit 7.9 horsepower at 5,710 rpm and 7.4 ft-lb of torque at 4,650 rpm, making it quite plucky at lower speeds. It’s the higher speeds where you might have some trouble.
«There has to be some compromises somewhere, and that’s when you get out on two-lane roads with 45 to 55 mph speed limits», Cycle World stated in its review of the 2022 model. «It’s here that requires either tucking into the draft of the car in front of you, or slightly holding up traffic when pushing its own wind wide open at 50 mph. We’ve seen speeds past 60 mph, but that’s only been with the benefit of a downhill slope or a tailwind. Plan accordingly.» So freeways are probably not going to be your best friend when riding one of these.
It’s the largest bike in Honda’s lineup of mini-motorcycles and the biggest bike on this list, but that doesn’t mean that it’s large by any stretch of the imagination. The Trail125 is 77.2 inches long, 42.2 inches tall, and 31.7 inches wide. It has a 31.5-inch seat height, a 49.4-inch wheelbase, and a 256 pound wet curb weight.CFMoto 126cc Papio
Next up is the only Chinese bike on this list, the 126cc Papio is made by Zhejiang CFMoto Power Co Ltd. This miniature motorcycle is small in stature while maintaining the look and feel of a modern naked street bike. It’s armed with a 126cc engine that can hit 9.4 horsepower at 8,500 rpm and 6.1 ft-lbs of torque at 8,500 rpm, giving it a bit more oomf. Like most small-engine bikes, it’s most comfortable in the zero to 35 mph range, with it taking a bit more time to achieve higher speeds.
